


Shadows

by hummerhouse



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2003)
Genre: Complete, Horror, M/M, Shadow people, Shadows - Freeform, Turtlecest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-02
Updated: 2017-11-04
Packaged: 2019-01-28 06:03:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12599880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hummerhouse/pseuds/hummerhouse
Summary: Disclaimer: The TMNT are not mine. No money being made.Word Count: 16,567 multi-chapter 2k3Summary: The new lair has the best possible security, so what could possibly get inside?Rated: PG-13 HorrorWritten for The Darkest Nights Horror Fanbook





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Preview by the amazing MomoRawrr.  
> 

            The trip to the junkyard had been both challenging and tedious but had also been well worth their efforts.  Donatello and Raphael had nearly filled the moving van with items they could salvage for use in their new home, or repair well enough to be sold in April’s shop.

            With the extra cash they received from those sales, the small mutant family could purchase the things they could not scrounge.  It was a big step up from their existence pre-April O’Neil.

            Of course with Karai still on the warpath, despite being warned off by Leonardo, leaving the lair to go on any sort of supply run was more dangerous.  Hence the reason for trying to pack something into every spare inch of the van.

            Leo and Michelangelo were waiting for them when Don and Raph pulled into the service bay of their newly acquired reservoir pump station home.  The bay was not as convenient to reach as the garage at their Y’Lyntian lair had been, but it was definitely more secluded and more spacious.

When they had decided to begin their new salvage enterprise, Don had been able to block off some of that extra space into a large storage room, which their father had greatly appreciated. Before that, the junk they collected tended to spill over into the living area of the lair, leaving it much too cluttered.

            As Don set the parking brake and shut off the engine, Raph leaped out of the van and ran around to open the back.

            “Wow!”  Mikey followed that utterance with a whistle as he surveyed the van’s contents.  “You guys made a haul.”

            “We hit two different junkyards,” Raph said.  “The Professor sends his greetings.”

            “Are the Foot staying away from him?” Leo asked.

            “He hasn’t seen a patrol in two weeks,” Don said as he joined them.  He passed a small bundle of comics over to Mikey.  “The Professor said these are to help you get your collection started again.”

            “Sweet!” Mikey exclaimed, pulling the twine off of the stack of comic books.

            Leo reached over and set his hand on top of the comics.  “Work first, comics second.  We need to unload the van and get this stuff sorted out.”

            “Okay,” Mikey said agreeably and set his comics to the side.  “Find anything good?”

            “A few things actually,” Don said.  “There’s a lot of stuff here I can use for parts.  I even found a shredder that April could use in her office.”

            “Dude, don’t even say that word,” Mikey said.

            “What word?” Don asked.

            “Shredder,” Mikey replied with a wink.

            “Get to work chucklehead,” Raph said as he began hauling things out of the back of the van.

            A couple of hours later the van was unloaded and the items they’d collected were sorted out.  Some went into the storage area, some things were moved to Don’s work area, and a few items were taken into the lair.

            One such item was a large rectangular mirror in perfect condition.  The mirror’s frame was made of wood, etched in an elaborate pattern and covered in what looked like gold sheeting.  The top sported an array of flourishes surrounding a cherubic face crested by a stylized fleur-de-lis.

            There were no nicks or scratches on any surface of the mirror or its frame, nor was there any discoloration.  Other than some dust, it looked as though it could have come directly from the showroom floor.

            Don saw Leo studying it and walked over to him.  “I thought this would work in the bathroom.”

            “It’s a little . . . fancy for us, isn’t it?” Leo asked, though the design fascinated him.  He ran a hand across a section of the mirror to see beneath the film of dust.  It was cold to the touch and he wondered if the temperature outside had dropped.

            “We can always turn it over to April for resell later,” Don said with a shrug.  “Next shopping trip I’ll look for a replacement.  The small sliver of mirror we’ve got mounted over the sink right now isn’t working for us.”

            Remembering the shoving match Raph and Mikey had gotten into when they were both trying to see in the mirror while brushing their teeth, Leo chuckled.  “You have a point.  This has to be a knock-off, right?  It can’t really be an antique or it would never have been dumped at the junkyard, especially in this condition.”

            “Who knows why humans do things,” Don said.  “Maybe they redecorated and this didn’t fit the style of the week.  Come on, help me hang it up.”

            “That thing is creepy,” Raph said as the pair walked past him.

            “You should stop watching horror movies with Mikey,” Leo said.

            Raph grinned.  “Ya’ wanna know what’d be even creepier?  Mikey’s reflection in that mirror.”

            “I heard you!” Mikey called out from his spot on the couch.  “Don’t think I’m sharing my comic books with you after that comment.”

            A moment later there was a shriek as Raph barreled over the back of the couch and landed on his little brother, who just managed to pull his comic book aside to avoid damage.  Ignoring them, Don retrieved the tool box from his work bench and went with Leo to hang the mirror over the sink in their bathroom.

            After Leo dusted it off completely and Don had mounted it on the wall, they both stepped back and eyed the mirror in its new home.

            “I guess it’s not too bad,” Leo said grudgingly.

            Don chuckled.  “Gives the room some class.  At least it’s large enough so Raph and Mikey won’t be elbowing each other for a spot in front of it.”

            “I just hope Mikey doesn’t find a way to break it,” Leo said as he moved towards the door.

            “If he does, _I’ll_ make sure he has seven years of bad luck,” Don responded as he shut off the bathroom light.

            Though it was nearing midnight, the brothers were too wound up to sleep so when Mikey suggested a movie, they all agreed.  Master Splinter had left for the Nexus the day before, planning an extended visit with his friend the Daimyo, which left the turtles to their own devices.

            Their father had made it clear, as he usually did, that Leonardo was in charge.  It was the first time since Leo had returned from training with the Ancient One that he’d been left with sole responsibility over his brothers.

            As they sat together in the darkened living area watching the horror movie Mikey had chosen, Leo looked around at his brothers.  They had changed as much as he had.  Each of them seemed more self-assured; more mature.  Raph wasn’t fighting Leo as much over his decisions, instead choosing to discuss in a calm manner anything he disagreed with.  Don remained a bastion of stability, though less prone to mysterious projects that kept him up for days and away from his family.

            Mikey was still his light-hearted, effervescent self, still the dreamer of the group, but he’d grown in many ways.  He was more focused now and much more reliable.  The potential that Leo had always seen in him was starting to show itself, and Leo couldn’t be more proud.

            For Leo’s part, he had learned that as a leader he couldn’t and shouldn’t micro-manage his team.  He knew their strengths and weaknesses and it was his job to utilize their skills to the best of his ability.  Once he had set his team out on the playing field, he had to trust that they would do what they had trained to do.

            Leo stifled a yawn and straightened in his chair.  His private ruminations had taken his attention off the movie and he’d lost track of the plot, but he hadn’t been that interested in it to begin with.  He wasn’t there for the movie anyway; what he enjoyed was spending quiet time with his brothers.  Especially Mikey.

            A surreptitious glance towards his youngest brother showed Leo that Mikey was totally engrossed in the movie.  He was leaning forward, his mouth open in an ‘O’ of excitement, his eyes wide.

            When Mikey enjoyed something, he enjoyed it completely.  It was the way that Mikey embraced life and everything about living that had always captivated Leo.  Even when Leo was wallowing in his darkest moments, questioning everything about himself, letting guilt and self-recriminations weigh him down, Mikey had understood what he was going through.

            Was it any wonder that Leo’s feelings for Mikey were changing?  Leo drew in a shaky breath, glad that the movie sound track was so loud and that soon to be murdered girl number three was screaming her head off.  Maybe it was time for him to turn in, before he made some other sound that would have his brothers asking questions.

            Slipping out of his chair, Leo left the living area without drawing anyone’s attention.  His mastery of stealth had many advantages, one of which was avoiding questions by making an unseen exit.

            Having been raised in the darkness of an underground world, Leo didn’t need to turn on any lights as he made his way downstairs and into the bathroom.  He didn’t bother with the lights in there either; enough was coming in from other parts of the lair to guide him to his toothbrush.

            Leo could just make out his own reflection in the new mirror as he brushed his teeth.  It was odd how the small amount of illumination in the bathroom seemed to have found the cherub’s face, making it stand out in the dark.  Almost as if it glowed.

            Frowning slightly, Leo leaned forward for a better look at the cherub.  It would be pretty tacky if it was actually made from some of that glow in the dark stuff like the sticker array on Mikey’s bedroom ceiling.  Leo could understand someone throwing it out if that was the case.

            Shaking his head, Leo washed his toothbrush and put it back in the holder before filling a cup with water and rinsing his mouth.  Spitting into the sink, Leo straightened and glanced in the mirror.

            A shadowed figure stood directly behind him.

            Dropping the cup, Leo drew his sword and spun around.  As he did, Michelangelo came through the door.

            “Whoa dude!” Mikey exclaimed, hands up.

            “Mikey?” Leo asked, sounding confused.

            Reaching for the light switch, Mikey flicked on the overhead bulbs.  “Yeah it’s me.  Who were you expecting?”

            Sheathing his weapon, Leo said.  “Did anyone come down with you?  I could have sworn I saw someone wearing a top hat standing behind me.”

            “As far as I know, none of us even _owns_ a top hat,” Mikey said, giving Leo an odd look.  “Never knew a horror movie to freak you out like that bro’.  Is that why you left before it ended?”

            “No, I left because it’s getting late and the movie has the same plot as two of the ones you made us watch last week,” Leo said.

            “That’s only because you have no appreciation for cinematic nuance,” Mikey said loftily.

            Leo chuckled.  “I suppose that means you’ll have to be the family media connoisseur.”

            He headed towards the door and Mikey walked out with him.  “You going to bed?”

            “Yep,” Leo answered.  “I want to get an early start tomorrow.”

            “You always do,” Mikey said.  “Goodnight bro’.”

            Leo bade him goodnight and entered his bedroom.  As he prepared for bed, Leo thought about how to him Mikey’s tone had seemed slightly wistful.  Maybe that was just Leo’s own wishful thinking; a vain hope that Mikey wanted his company.

            With the bedside lamp turned off, Leo’s room was plunged into darkness.  Unlike the Y’Lyntian lair where crystals embedded in the walls and support posts gave them a certain amount of light, this lair was nearly black as pitch when the electricity was off.

            Leo lay in his bed thinking about that as he recalled the shadow that he’d seen reflected in the mirror earlier.  He was not prone to flights of fancy nor did he have Mikey’s overactive imagination.  Most likely the shadow was formed by low light bouncing off of a combination of bathroom items.  That would certainly explain the top hat, Leo decided with amusement.

            His mind turned to other things then and he was soon asleep.

            When Leo woke, he did so with a jolt.  Remaining completely still, he tried to sort out what it was that had startled him to wakefulness.  He was certain it wasn’t a sound because that would not have made him feel so alarmed.

            It was the sense of a _presence_ , the feeling that he was not alone, that had pulled him from his slumber.

            Without moving, Leo slowly scanned the room.  A human would have found the darkness completely impenetrable, but to Leo every dark space had varying degrees of blackness.  It took him just a moment to find the spot that seemed different.

            What he saw wasn’t so much a tangible form as it was a blurring of a section of his room.  That space seemed to vibrate with an energy of its own.

            Leo was out of his bed in a split second, his hand sweeping down to grasp the hilt of one katana, pulling it from its sheath.

            “Who’s there?” he demanded, holding his weapon out in front of him.

            There was no answer.  Leo did not take his eyes from whatever it was he was perceiving to be there and when it did not move, he slowly approached it.

            The room seemed to grow colder the nearer he got to the shadowy thing.  In the darkness, it was hard to tell how close he was to it, but he’d taken about six steps when the shadow shifted towards him.

            In a flash, Leo swung his katana.  His weapon did not connect with a solid mass, but there was a slight crackling sound, then the grip on his sword grew almost unbearably cold.

            Spinning away from the shadow, Leo dashed towards the light switch and flipped it on.  When he turned back, the room was empty.

            Leo stared at the area where he was sure he’d seen _something_.  Moving towards it slowly, he reached out with one hand but whatever had been there was gone.  What he did feel was a leftover coldness in the spot where he’d perceived the shadow.

            Not usually spooked by the unexplained, Leo nevertheless kept one light on for the remainder of the night.  As he struggled to go to sleep, Leo’s mind wrestled with itself, trying to come up with an explanation for what he’d experienced.

            A number of ideas popped into his head, some logical, some fanciful, but eventually Leo fell asleep without settling on anything other than he needed to talk to Donatello in the morning.

            Since Leo was the first to rise the next day, he made a sweep of the lair looking for signs of an intruder.  He couldn’t fathom how anyone would get into their home undetected, but their safety depended on the security of the lair.  The figure he’d seen in the mirror might have been nothing more than the play of light bouncing off of objects, but what had happened in his room wasn’t so easily explained away.

            They had thought the Y’Lyntian lair to be spacious, but the pump station was vast.  The previous lair had only two levels, if one didn’t count the garage, but the pump station had four levels and a number of ‘rooms’ that were the size of their old garage.

            Master Splinter had one such space for his bedroom.  Leo didn’t like to go in there when his father wasn’t home, but if there were an intruder, it wouldn’t do to leave that area unsearched.

            The room seemed to be empty.  It felt even emptier without Master Splinter’s presence.  Someday . . . .

            He wasn’t sure if his brothers had ever considered what their lives would be like without Master Splinter, but Leo had.  His father often alluded to it when he and Leo talked.  It was buried in the advice he gave his oldest son, the reminders that Leo had to hold the family together.  That he had to keep them safe.  That the burden lay on his shoulders.  That when their father was gone . . . .

           Leo shook his head to push that thought away. A quick turn through his father’s room proved that no one was hiding there, but before he left Leo stopped in front of the small pool that flowed into the center of the room.  There was another larger pool that cut through the center of the lair.

           They had not explored either of these waterways as yet, but they had to be considered as avenues for gaining entry to the lair. Why someone would swim through tunnels of water in order to enter their home, traverse the lair, and then merely spend their time watching him sleep was beyond Leo.

            Laughing at himself, Leo left Master Splinter’s room.  He was being paranoid and now thought he knew why.  His father wasn’t home and Leo was letting the added responsibilities get to him.  Leo hadn’t even faced any real challenges yet and he was already his own worst enemy.

            Leo glanced at the pool in the center of the lair, the sound of the moving water barely noticed by his family.  They were used it; maybe because they had a pool in the old lair, or because they were turtles and being near water was second nature.

            He’d have to talk to Donny about taking an exploratory swim.  They really did need to know where . . . .

            Something darted in front of him and Leo jumped, his hand sweeping up for his sword.

            “Hey!” Mikey yelped as he came out of the kitchen.  “How about we don’t skewer my cat.”

            “Klunk?”  Leo looked around but didn’t see the small orange fur ball anywhere.

            “Yeah.  What cat did you think I was talking about?  It’s time for his flea meds and he doesn’t like it,” Mikey said, holding up a small narrow tipped vial.

            “Oh.  Good luck finding him,” Leo said.

            Mikey frowned.  “Dude, you sure are jumpy.  Didn’t you get any sleep?”

            “Some.  I lay awake thinking about lair security,” Leo told him.  It was partially the truth, but he didn’t want to share the other thing with Mikey.  He’d rather not have his youngest brother think he was nuts or imagining things.

            “Uh huh,” Mikey responded knowingly.  “Master Splinter’s only been gone a couple of days, Leo.  Wearing that worry hat too tight is gonna cut off circulation to your brain.”

            “Am I that obvious?” Leo asked with a smile.

            “Pretty much.  Wanna help me find Klunk?  I figure with the second best ninja in the house helping me look for him, we can flush him out of hiding quick,” Mikey said.

            “Second best?  Who’s the first best ninja?” Leo asked.

            “Me of course,” Mikey answered.  “I _am_ the Battle Nexus Champion.”

            Leo could only laugh.  He’d known very well that Mikey would respond to his question that way.  Raph and Don found Mikey’s references to his Battle Nexus win annoying, but Leo felt a measure of satisfaction each time Mikey reminded them of his achievement.

            By the time they located Klunk and Mikey applied the flea preventative to the very unhappy cat, both Raph and Don were up and moving about.  In the last couple of years Don had acquired a taste for coffee, no doubt part of April’s influence, and his first stop was always the kitchen.

            It was only after Don had imbibed of his first cup of liquid eye opener that Leo sought him out for a conversation.  Mikey was spotting for Raph as he lifted weights and Don was in his work area, looking over some of the items from his latest junkyard excursion.

            “Hey, Leo,” Don said in greeting.  “I’m keeping this blender.  It’s ugly as shell, but it works.”

            “What’s wrong with the blender we have?” Leo asked, stopping across from his brother at the work table.

            “Mikey,” Don replied.  “Need I say more?”

            “No,” Leo said, chuckling.  “Want me to speak to him?”

            “Would it do any good?” Don countered.

            “Probably not,” Leo said.  “Don, do you have a minute?”

            Setting his screwdriver down, Don gave Leo his full attention.  “Sure.  What’s up?”

            “Is there any chance that something could get into the lair undetected?” Leo asked.

            “What do you mean, ‘something’?”  Don’s brow furrowed.

            “An intruder,” Leo said.  “Anyone, not necessarily the Foot.”

            “You said something, not someone,” Don said.  “You aren’t one to be careless with your words, Leo.  What gave you the idea our security might have been breached?”

            “Let’s keep this between us for now, okay Donny?  I thought I saw something in my room last night,” Leo said.  “It was dark, so it was more a sense that there was a presence.  I got up and approached the area where I thought it was and it moved, but my sword only touched air.  Cold air.”

            “Are you sure it was a presence?” Don asked.  “Did it have form?”

            “Not really,” Leo said.  Grimacing, he added, “I thought I saw someone behind me in the bathroom earlier.  A figure wearing a . . . a top hat.  That’s all I could make out because it was just a shadow.  Mikey turned on the lights a second later and nothing was there.”

            “Was this during that lame movie Mikey had us watch?” Don asked with a knowing look.

            “You sound like Mikey,” Leo said.  “That movie did not set my imagination into overdrive.  I wrote it off as the shadowed combination of bathroom objects.  I wouldn’t have thought about it again if not for my experience later on.”

            “Were you sleeping at any point before you felt that presence?” Don asked.

            “It woke me up Donny,” Leo said, emphasizing his words.  “I got out of bed and it was still there.  I wasn’t dreaming.”

            “I’m not suggesting that you were,” Don said.  “Not in the literal sense anyway.  It’s possible to become so immersed in a very vivid dream that parts of it cling to the subconscious even after we’ve awakened.  There’s a term for it called threshold consciousness.”

            “I would think if I were prone to that sort of thing, it would have happened to me before,” Leo said.  “It never has.  None of that explains the cold spot in my room, or the fact that whatever my blade passed through made the metal so cold I could barely hold onto the sword.”

            “You’ve never felt a cold spot in your room before?” Don asked.

            “No.  Listen, Donny.  This lair is big.  You found a place to park a helicopter!  Isn’t it possible there are ways to get in here that we haven’t secured yet?” Leo asked.

            Don looked thoughtful.  “I don’t think so.  We all did a pretty thorough search after we moved in here.  Besides that, I’ve got motion detectors scattered all through the tunnels surrounding this place.  There are cameras inside the lair too.  For someone to get to your room, they’d have to go past a camera.”

            “How often do you review the footage?” Leo asked.

            “Every day.  It doesn’t take long because they’re motion activated,” Don said.  “I haven’t checked yesterday’s footage yet if you want to look at it.”

            “I do,” Leo said.

            “Okay, come on.”  Don led the way to the area he used as an office and motioned Leo into his desk chair.  It took only a minute for Don to set up the footage from the day before and once it started to play, he went back to work.

            The recordings were exactly what Don had described.  There was one for each of the cameras in the lair and they were looped back to back.  The only thing Leo saw on the camera with a view of his room was family.  No one else and nothing else entered or left.

            It was while Leo was viewing the area nearest the bathroom that he saw anything out of the ordinary.  The time stamp on the footage showed that it occurred sometime after Leo had turned in for the night.

            Klunk squatted on the bottom riser of the staircase, facing the bathroom.  His tail was down, fur bushed, ears flat and back on his head.  Nose scrunched, Klunk’s mouth was open, his fangs showing and even without sound Leo knew he was hissing at something.

            Leo stared without blinking at the entrance to the bathroom but saw nothing.  Because Klunk did not move for several minutes, the camera stopped filming.  The next frame started a quarter of an hour later, when Klunk spun around and scurried up the stairs.

            Rewinding that recorded section, Leo leaned forward and watched Klunk again.  The cat definitely seemed alarmed at something he was seeing, but whatever it was hadn’t been caught on camera.

            “What the hell are ya’ looking at?” Raph asked, suddenly appearing next to Leo.

            Caught by surprise, Leo jerked back and then immediately felt foolish.  “The security feed from Don’s cameras.”

            Raph gave him an odd look.  “Damn Leo, ya’ nearly came out of your chair.  What’s going on?”

            Before he answered, Leo glanced past Raph to make sure Mikey wasn’t around.  He wasn’t sure why he felt the need to shelter his younger brother from what was probably nothing, but he did.

            “Last night I thought I sensed a presence in the lair,” Leo said.  “In the bathroom and later in my room.  Don suggested I check the recordings from his security cameras.”

            “What do ya’ mean, a presence?  What kind of presence?” Raph demanded.

            Leo explained his two experiences to Raph and then waited for his brother to process the information.

            “Did ya’ see anything on the cameras?” Raph asked, tipping his head towards the monitor.

            “Just this,” Leo said, spinning back to the keyboard and punching up a replay of Klunk’s behavior.

           Leo was relieved that Raph hadn’t immediately scoffed at him. If it had been Mikey who had relayed such odd experiences, all of his brothers would probably have discounted his tale out of hand.  It was a bad habit they’d gotten into and something that Leo decided he would stop doing right away.

           When the replay had run its course, Raph shrugged and looked at his older brother. “That didn’t show anything but Klunk acting the way he does when he sees a big rat,” he said.  “Some of them sewer rats are as big as he is.”

           “I would have thought the same if it weren’t for what happened in my bedroom,” Leo said.

           “Then let’s check your bedroom,” Raph said. “Don’t know why someone would sneak in and just stand there staring at ya’, but if there’s a secret way inside, we should find it and seal it up.”

           Raph tended to be very practical and he always approached a problem head on. Leo had to admit that his brother had a point and together they went into Leo’s bedroom.

           “I encountered whatever it was over here,” Leo said, showing Raph the space where he’d seen the shadow.

           It was no longer cold and the brothers began their search, checking the walls for hidden doors and the ceiling for access panels. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, they finally stopped.

           “There’s nothing here Leo,” Raph said. “Maybe the intruder came through the door and the cameras didn’t pick him up ‘cause of some glitch.”

           Leo was grateful that Raph wasn’t making fun of him and was taking the situation seriously. He just wished he had some proof to support his sightings.

           “My cameras are fine,” Don said, entering the room. It was clear he’d heard the last part of their conversation.  “I run routine diagnostics on them.  I take it you didn’t see anything on them and haven’t found any hints as to how someone could have gotten in here?”

           “The only thing the camera caught was Klunk hissing at something that was probably a rat,” Raph said. “We just checked and there’s no way in here except the door.”

           “Then let me offer this by way of explanation,” Don said. “It’s what I said before about threshold consciousness, or hypnagogia.  Usually people experience it during the transition from wakefulness to sleep, but it can occur during the period where someone isn’t fully awake.  You said this has never happened to you before Leo, and I believe that.  But this is also the first time Master Splinter has been gone since we moved into this new lair and since Karai attacked and destroyed the last one.  The stress of feeling like you have to be constantly alert could be keeping you from getting the deep sleep you need.  That would certainly account for a hypnagogic state.”

           “Could have been Karai ya’ thought was in here,” Raph said. “She sure is a cold bitch.”

           As much as Leo hated to doubt himself, he had to admit that Don’s explanation was preferable to an actual intruder making it into the lair.

           “You’re probably right. I have had a lot on my mind,” Leo admitted, thinking about his youngest brother.  That made him ask, “Where’s Mikey?”

           “Cooking,” Raph said.

           “He’s been hooked on improving his culinary skills since we moved in here,” Don said.

           Raph chuckled. “Mikey says he’s exhibiting his artistry through the science of gastronomy.  His food is edible and that’s all I care about.”

           The remainder of the day passed quietly enough. Not another word was said about what Leo had thought he’d seen and he soon forgot about it as well.

           That was until he decided to turn in early and catch up on his sleep. This time Leo flipped on the lights in the bathroom as he went about his business of preparing for bed.  His mind was on Mikey as he brushed his teeth and then rinsed.  He only glanced into the mirror after reaching for a towel.

           There was frost around the edges of the glass. As Leo watched, the ice crystals began to move inward and a cold blast of air hit his face.

TBC………….


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: The TMNT are not mine. No money being made.  
> Word Count: 4,664 multi-chapter 2k3  
> Summary: The new lair has the best possible security, so what could possibly get inside?  
> Rated: PG-13 Horror  
> Written for The Darkest Nights Horror Fanbook

            Without moving, Leo stared at the mirror, watching the frost expand until it fully covered the reflective glass.

            The room felt cold; Leo’s breath showed each time he exhaled.  Shivering, Leo realized he should move, but the need to know what would happen next overcame the instinct to run.

            As soon as the entire surface of the mirror was encased in ice, a sound like that of a finger on wet glass echoed through the room.  Letters began to form across the center of the mirror.

            _Leonardo_

            That was all it took to get Leo’s feet moving.

            “Don!  Donny!” Leo shouted from the bathroom doorway.

            His call was urgent enough to attract the attention of all three of his brothers.  They raced across the lair and were by his side within seconds.

            “What is it?” Don asked, alerted by the expression on his brother’s face.

            “The mirror,” Leo said, pointing into the bathroom.  “Look at the mirror.”

            Don stepped past him, with Raph nearly on his heels.  Mikey was close behind Leo as his older brother reentered the bathroom.

            “What are we supposed to be seeing?” Raph asked.

            There was no longer any frost on the mirror; no sign of the letters that had spelled out Leo’s name.

            “I’m wide awake guys; you can see I’m wide awake.  There were ice crystals covering the mirror just a few seconds ago.  Something wrote my name across the glass,” Leo told them.

            Raph was giving him a dubious look but Don leaned closer to the mirror, angling his head so he could study the glass from a side view.

            “Why are you insisting you’re awake, Leo?  Did something happen that I don’t know about?” Mikey asked.

            “He had a weird ass dream that something was in his room last night,” Raph said.

            “I’m not dreaming now,” Leo said.

            “There’s nothing on the mirror,” Don said, stepping back.  “Were you using the hot water?  It could have been steam rather than frost you saw on the glass.”

            “The water was off.  Something is in the lair with us.  Klunk saw it last night too.  That was no rat he was hissing at,” Leo said.

            “Something’s in the lair?” Mikey asked, grabbing Leo’s arm.  “Dude, your skin is like, super cold!”

            “Let me see,” Don said, striding over to where Leo stood and touching his arm.  “Leo, your skin is much too cold.  How do you feel?”

            “I feel fine,” Leo said, “but this proves that the room did get cold and that something unusual happened in here.”

            Don frowned and glanced back at the mirror before taking his hand from Leo’s arm to once more examine the area where the mirror hung.  Raph crossed his arms, appearing to be undecided on whether there was any reason for concern.

            Mikey began rubbing Leo’s arm, clearly attempting to warm his skin.  It felt good and Leo turned into his touch, more than happy when Mikey took the hint and started to massage both arms simultaneously.

            “It’s possible that we are getting cold spots in the lair for some reason,” Don said slowly, rubbing his chin.  “That could account for you sensing a presence, Leo.  A defined area of cold air could be perceived as a manifestation of some sort.”

            “That doesn’t account for my name being written on the mirror,” Leo said.  “I know you’re trying to put a logical spin on these occurrences, but this wouldn’t be the first time we’ve encountered some sort of entity.”

            “So how do we get rid of it?” Raph asked.  “Ain’t nobody seen it but Leo.  If he’s right and something wrote his name on the mirror, then he’s the one it’s fixated on.”

            Mikey stopped rubbing Leo’s arms, but didn’t relinquish his hold.  “You guys don’t think it might be Master Splinter, do you?” he asked.  “Maybe he’s trying to reach us for some reason.”

            Leo shook his head.  “He wouldn’t do it that way.  He’d come to us during meditation or we’d hear his voice in our dreams.”

            “It would require more energy to make the room cold than to just reach out with his mind,” Don said.  “If something is trying to make contact with Leo, then one of us should be with him at all times.”

            “I’ll stay with you tonight,” Mikey said quickly, addressing himself to Leo.  “You don’t mind sharing your bed, do you?”

            For a moment, Mikey’s words pushed all thoughts of the unseen intruder from Leo’s head.  He suddenly felt warm all over, realizing for the first time that his skin _had_ been cold.

            “Won’t be a problem,” Leo responded, hoping his voice sounded casual.  “I was heading in to hit the sack when this happened.  Not too early for you, is it?”

            “I’ll grab some comics and join you,” Mikey said.

            The brothers separated with an admonition from Don that they call out should anything unusual occur.

            Leo folded back the blankets on his bed and plumped the pillows as he waited for Mikey to arrive.  Though he usually preferred to sleep in the dark, he left his desk lamp on, wanting there to be some illumination in the room in case the entity returned.

            Sitting on the edge of the bed, sans gear, Leo found that he was actually nervous at the thought of Mikey sleeping so close to him.  There had been times lately when Leo had allowed his imagination free rein and it had invariably turned to Mikey.  Those daydreams had frequently placed his youngest brother in bed with Leo and they hadn’t been there to sleep.

            When Mikey entered the room he was all smiles, a bundle of comics beneath one arm.  He dropped them unceremoniously onto the bed and quickly stripped off his weapons, pads, belt and mask before crawling into bed next to his brother.

            “Sorry it took so long,” Mikey said as Leo lay down.  “I brushed my teeth and rinsed off so I’d be nice and clean for you.”

            “I appreciate the effort,” Leo said, pulling the blanket up over them.  He was immediately engulfed in the warmth of Mikey’s body heat and it felt amazing.

            “So~o, how about I read to you?” Mikey suggested.  “I’ve got the latest Justice Force Adventure comic.  Guaranteed not to be scary.”

            “Is there enough light?” Leo asked.

            “Sure,” Mikey said.  “The print isn’t nearly as small as it is in those boring books you like to read.”

            Leo chuckled.  Mikey seemed to be viewing this as nothing more than a sleepover and his lighthearted treatment of the situation was relaxing.

            “I’d enjoy listening to you read that comic,” Leo said.

            “Cool,” Mikey said with a grin.  He shoved the other comics onto the floor before opening the one he’d chosen.  Holding it up so that Leo could see the pictures, Mikey began to read.

            The sound of Mikey’s voice was soothing and somewhere near the end of the comic Leo fell asleep.

            Leo woke suddenly and with a sense of dread.  His eyes scanned the room, noting that the lamp seemed to have grown very dim, before he turned his head to look at his brother.

            Mikey lay on his stomach, soundly asleep, his breathing too soft to have roused Leo.  The impression that they weren’t alone grew as a tingling sensation crawled across Leo’s skin.  He once more surveyed the room in an effort to locate whatever had entered.

            A dark corner of the room shifted when Leo’s gaze touched the area.  Watching with wide eyes, Leo saw a shadow detach itself from the rest and move towards him.  It was human in shape, tall and thin, wearing a cape and a top hat.  There were no discernible features where its face should have been, though its ‘eyes’ showed as glowing red spots sunken into the blackness of its head.

            Leo couldn’t move.  He gave his body the command to rise, but he was paralyzed, unable to even form words.

            Then the shadow man descended on him, crawling onto his chest and pressing down on his shoulders.  The weight was unbearable and Leo found that he couldn’t breathe.  His body turned cold; a cold that seeped into his bones and made his teeth chatter.

            There was no way to alert Mikey; to alert anyone.  Leo could feel himself beginning to fade and with a last hard effort, he managed to moan.

            Whether it was the intense cold or the sound of Leo’s distress, Mikey suddenly flipped over and sat bolt upright.  He spotted the shadow sitting astride his brother and without hesitation swung at it with all his might.

            “Get off of my brother!” Mikey shouted.

            His fist passed through the spectral being.  Though he didn’t connect with anything solid, his ferocity seemed to drive the shadow man off Leo.  It slid away quickly, backing towards the same dark corner from whence it had come as Mikey leapt from the bed to pursue it.

            By the time he reached the corner the shadow man was gone, leaving only a residual coldness in its wake.

            Mikey sped back to Leo’s side, noting that his brother hadn’t moved.  Leo’s skin was exceedingly cold to the touch and he wasn’t breathing.

            In three long strides Mikey reached the door, swinging it open to bellow at the top of his lungs, “Donny!”

            He didn’t wait for his call to be answered.  Returning to Leo, Mikey forced his brother’s mouth open, covered his nostrils, and began mouth to mouth resuscitation.

            “What happened?” Don asked as he rushed into the room.

            “Shit!  What’s wrong with Leo?” Raph demanded.

            “Attacked,” Mikey said, barely pausing to answer.

            Don ran around to the other side of the bed and kneeled on the mattress next to Leo.  “He’s freezing!”  Yanking the blanket back, Don waved Raph over.  “Rub his legs and feet.  We’ve got to get the circulation going.”

            As Raph complied with those orders, Don began vigorously kneading Leo’s hands and arms, rubbing his brother’s fingers between his palms.

            Within seconds Leo’s body jerked and Mikey lifted his mouth off his brother’s.  There was a sharp inhalation of air from Leo and then he started to cough.

            Mikey caught him and lifted Leo’s upper body from the bed, holding him tightly as Leo gasped for air.  His breath was cold against Mikey’s collarbone, but eventually became warmer as Leo’s body temperature returned to normal.

            “What the hell happened in here?” Raph rasped, stepping back so that Don could once more tuck the blanket around Leo.

            “It was a shadow person,” Mikey said, not relinquishing his hold on Leo.  His brother lifted his arms and wrapped them around Mikey, but made no attempt to join the conversation.

            “A _shadow_ person?” Don asked, staring at Mikey incredulously.

            “Yeah, a shadow that looked like a person,” Mikey said.  “It was wearing a cape and a top hat and it was sitting on Leo’s chest, holding him down.  Bros, it was a shadow!  It had red eyes and no face.”

            “Where’d it go?  How did it get on top of Leo with ya’ laying right next to him?” Raph asked, on the verge of losing his temper.

            “Shadows don’t make sounds, Raph.  I woke up ‘cause Leo started moaning and I thought he was having a nightmare.  Turns out he was being attacked by one.  He was totally not imagining that something was in the lair.  It backed into that corner over there and disappeared when I started swinging at it,” Mikey said.

            “Don’t gripe at him Raph,” Leo said, his voice hoarse.  He released Mikey and scooted back on the bed, propping himself against the wall.

            Mikey immediately crawled over him, displacing Don in order to squeeze in next to Leo and put his arm around Leo’s shoulder.

            “Then give me something else to do,” Raph snapped.  “Give me something to hit or tell me how the hell we drive this thing out of our home.  Tell me why it keeps coming after _you_.”

            “I don’t know,” Leo said irritably.  “If I knew, don’t you think I’d tell you?  I don’t know where it came from, I don’t know if it’s been here all along and we somehow just woke it up.”

            “You said earlier that I was trying to put a logical spin on this,” Don said.  “Now that we know more, how about we follow a path of reasoning to figure it out?  Let’s talk it through from the beginning and be sure not to skip even the smallest detail.”

            Raph growled and swung back to the corner where the shadow had gone.  After running his hands over the walls to once more reassure himself that nothing was there, he crossed over to Leo’s desk and propped a hip against it.

            “You couldn’t hit that shadow man even if you found it Raph,” Mikey told him.

            “Ya’ did,” Raph said.  “Ya’ drove it off of Leo.”

            “That’s something I wanted to ask you about Mikey,” Don said.  “You said you started swinging at it.  Didn’t the cold bother you?”

            “It didn’t feel cold to me,” Mikey said.  “It sure didn’t like having my fist pass through its . . . whatever it’s made of though.  The corner felt cold after it left and Leo’s skin sure was cold.”

            “But it nearly froze my blade last night and there was frost on the mirror earlier,” Leo said.  “And there’s something wrong with my desk lamp.  It was a lot brighter when we went to bed.”

            Raph turned and examined the lamp, lifting the shade to thump the lightbulb.  When that had no effect, he ducked beneath the desk and followed the cord with his fingers down to where it was plugged into the outlet.

            When Raph stood up, his fingers were covered in flakes of black plastic.  “The cord looks like something’s been chewing on it.”

            “Or possibly that it was exposed to extreme cold,” Don said.  “Go ahead Leo, give us the details of your encounters.  Don’t leave anything out, not even the lighting situation during the specter’s appearances.”

            Leo recounted each of his four experiences, careful to describe as much of them as he could remember.  Throughout, Mikey made no attempt to move, no attempt to relinquish his hold on his brother.  Having Mikey so close filled Leo with an indescribable warmth, a feeling that drove away all residual traces of the cold he’d been exposed to earlier.

            When Leo finished his description of the attack, Mikey picked up the tale, explaining with the precision of a born storyteller every move he and the shadow person had made.

            “So the three times you’ve seen it have been under low to no light situations,” Don said.  “The lights were on in the bathroom when the frost appeared on the glass, but the shadow never actually manifested itself.  It avoids brightly lit spaces.”

            “Does that mean it damaged the lamp cord on purpose?” Mikey asked.  “Why?  What does it want with Leo?”

            “I wish I knew,” Don said.  “Let me do some research.  With the information I now have, hopefully I can learn what this thing might be and then figure out how to get rid of it.”

            “Leo needs to stay where there’s lots of light and avoid being alone,” Raph said.  “That goes for all of us.  Who’s to say Leo hasn’t just been a target of opportunity and it won’t go for whoever is by themselves.”

            “Well it didn’t like me, so I’m sticking with Leo,” Mikey said, his tone firm.  “I’ll make that thing regret trying to tangle with the Battle Nexus champion.”

            Though Raph rolled his eyes, Leo couldn’t help but smile.  It was that sort of certitude that drew him to Mikey.

           Don walked around the bed in order to flip the light switch on. “If you’re going to stay in here, then the lights need to remain on.  I’ll make sure they’re on in the rest of the lair too.  Don’t depend on any light source that relies on exposed wires, like lamps.  Raph, could you unplug that desk lamp?  It’s a hazard right now.”

           “Sure,” Raph said, reaching down to pull the plug. When he straightened, he asked, “Ya’ heading for your computers, Brainiac?”

           “I am,” Don answered.

           “Then I’m going with ya’,” Raph said. “Wherever ya’ go, I go with ya’.  We sure don’t need that thing attacking the brains of this operation.”

           Don gave him a grateful look. Leo thought he saw something more in Don’s eyes as he looked at Raph, but reminded himself that his feelings for Mikey might be influencing his thoughts.

           “We could always camp out at April’s until we figure this out,” Don suggested.

           “No,” Leo said quickly. “That would place her in danger from the Foot and from this shadow, should it be able to follow us.  Besides, we need to be here should Father return early.”

           “That thing keeps trying to jump Leo when he’s inside of a room,” Mikey said. “I say we move this party to the main part of the lair.  It’s wide open, the couch is big, and there’s plenty of light.  We’ll keep all of the televisions on.”

           “Yeah, if they start to act up, Mikey will sure as hell notice,” Raph said with a grin.

           “That’s a good idea Mikey,” Don said. “We’ll all be on the same level and Raph and I will be close enough to see if anything odd happens.”

           “Just keep your voices down,” Mikey said as he left the bed. “Leo needs his sleep.”

           Despite Leo’s assurances that he needed no help walking, Raph tucked the blanket around his shoulders and stayed close as they climbed the short staircase up to the main living area. Don and Mikey trailed behind them, carrying pillows and additional blankets.

           Leo stood next to Raph while the others made up the couch. Leo noticed that Raph’s body heat was similar to Mikey’s, something he’d never thought about before.  Though they were turtles, their bodies did not radiate the same levels of warmth.  Raph’s and Mikey’s body temperature was higher than Don’s, and his was higher than Leo’s.

           When the couch was made up, Mikey patted the cushions and looked over at Leo. “Your bed awaits, boss.  Crawl in and get comfy.”

           Leo sat down and asked, “You aren’t going to spend the night on the floor, are you?”

           “Nope,” Mikey said, sitting on the opposite end of the couch. A grouping of pillows were piled against the armrest and he leaned against them.  “You’re going to put your feet on my lap, that way I’ll know if you move for any reason.”

           Frowning, Leo said, “That’s not very comfortable for you.”

           “I’m plenty comfortable,” Mikey said. “Lie down and go to sleep, Leo.”

           With a sigh of resignation, Leo did as he was told. Mikey’s lap warmed his feet and that warmth radiated all of the way through Leo’s system.  That and the extra blankets soon sent Leo into a deep sleep, one that the glow from the television sets couldn’t disturb.

           Donatello took a seat in front of his computers and began running a search on the key words “shadows”, “shadow people”, and “shadow men”. Raph pulled a chair over next to him and sat down so that he was partially turned towards the living area.

           All was quiet for a time. The televisions had been muted and only the clicking of the keyboard and the water running in the pond could be heard.

           Arms crossed and leaning back in his chair, Raph watched Don scroll through numerous tales of shadow people encounters. The genius was a fast reader, but Raph managed to pick up the gist of the stories.

           Keeping his voice low, Raph asked, “Ya’ think that maybe Leo living in the shadows so much has anything to do with what’s happening?”

           “We all live in the shadows,” Don said.

           “Not the way Leo does,” Raph said. “He _practices_ hiding in the shadows.  He studies them, studies how light falls, how to blend into the darkness so he can’t be seen.  Maybe that shadow guy don’t want to share his space.”

           “That makes as much sense as anything else,” Don said. “There are thousands of accounts of shadow people sightings.  The cape and top hat are even mentioned frequently, along with the red eyes.”

           “Anybody else get attacked by them?” Raph asked.

           “Yes,” Don said. “For the most part, people don’t have any type of physical altercation with the shadow men, but the ones that do report that he’s quite strong.”

           “So how’d they get rid of them? There’s gotta be a way to chase them off,” Raph said.

           “Some have priests come in to bless their homes,” Don said. “Most just move.”

           “Great. We can’t do either of those things,” Raph said.  “That ain’t very helpful.”

           “I’m still researching the phenomenon, Raph. There are articles written by researchers that I need to go through.  Maybe those will offer some enlightenment and give us a way to banish this shadow man,” Don said.

           “You’re reading, Leo and Mikey are sleeping, and I’m sitting on my ass doing nothing,” Raph griped.

           “I thought you were watching my back,” Don said, his tone playful. “Isn’t that important work?”

           “’Course it is,” Raph was quick to say. “It just ain’t very active work.”

           “If you want to stretch your legs, it might be a good plan to gather up all of our flashlights,” Don said. “I hope we won’t need them, but better safe than sorry.”

           “Okay, I can do that,” Raph said as he stood up. “Ya’ stay right here in front of these computers, ya’ hear me?  Don’t leave the light.”

           “The same goes for you,” Don said. “Turn on lights as you go.”

           Raph gave him a thumbs up as he hurried away. Don watched Raph until he disappeared down the stairs and then he turned back to his research.

           Being a light sleeper had both advantages and disadvantages. On the plus side, Leo was almost perpetually alert to the slightest change, which for a ninja was a very good thing.  On the minus side, he rarely slept through the night, usually waking fully every couple of hours.

           Leo knew that it was an odd sound that woke him. Still drowsy, he did not move from the warmth of the cocoon he had burrowed into.  On the other end of the couch he could see Mikey, slumped back in sleep.  His brother had one arm stretched across the top of the couch, the other lay beneath the covers on top of Leo’s legs.

           Just as Leo’s eyes began to close, he once more heard a discordant noise. Whispers, so faint as to produce no words reached his ears, bringing with them the same tingling sensation that Leo had experienced earlier.

           Movement from the opening to the far side of where Mikey sat drew Leo’s attention. It was the entry to Master Splinter’s room; the bottom portion of a set of stairs was just visible through the doorway.

           The light from the television monolith did not quite penetrate that area, leaving it in partial darkness. Leo stared at it, too relaxed to move, but not paralyzed as he’d been before.  Whatever was happening was different.

           Leo realized that he felt slightly feverish and vaguely wondered if he’d caught a cold. He wouldn’t be surprised; turtles did not react well to freezing temperatures.

           Again Leo thought he saw something move. Though his lids were heavy, Leo forced himself to focus on that empty space.

           A shadow figure emerged from the wall, crossed the width of the opening, and vanished through the opposite wall.

           It never looked in Leo’s direction. As he watched, another shadow figure stepped through the wall, closely followed by a second.

           This time the shadow figures elongated as they appeared, growing tall and thin. Each step they took was in slow motion.  Soon a string of shadow people moved across the opening, one following the other, all spindly in appearance, and all going at an impossibly slow pace.

           All Leo could do was to lie there and watch, his body feeling too weighed down to move.

           Raph didn’t like walking away from Don. Not with some dangerous specter in the lair.

           He didn’t much like sitting around doing nothing useful either. Don had a point about the flashlights though and collecting them gave Raph a chance to move.  He could check the lair while he was as it, something that he knew would set Leo’s mind at ease.  Raph would tell him he’d done that once Leo woke from his nap.

           There was one flashlight in a drawer in the kitchen and Raph made that his first stop. He clicked the switch to make sure it worked, then tucked it into his belt.  On his way down to the service bay Raph snagged the flashlight hanging from the wall near his weight bench.

           In the service bay Raph knew he could find at least three more flashlights and one heavy duty camp light. He was pretty sure there was a kerosene lamp on a shelf in there too.  The idea of having something that gave off a little heat appealed to Raph, considering the cold that the shadow man seemed so fond of.

           Descending the stairs, Raph walked over to the light switch and flicked on the overhead fluorescents. That only illuminated a portion of the cavernous space, but it was enough for Raph to spot the lamp.

           Taking it down from the shelf, Raph blew the dust off the glass and checked the kerosene level. It was full and Raph grinned.  Of course it was full, Don was too much of a perfectionist to leave an empty lamp sitting around.  Don had even trimmed the wick after its last use.

           Tucking a book of matches into his belt, Raph took the lamp over to the stairs and set it on the bottom riser along with one of the flashlights. He’d look for the camp light next, vaguely remembering having seen it near one of Don’s work tables.

           Walking past the moving van, Raph glanced into one of the side mirrors and caught a glimpse of an unusual looking shadow. Turning his head, Raph looked back but didn’t see anything.  With a short laugh at himself for letting the talk of shadow people get to him, Raph kept going.

           The overhead lights didn’t quite reach the work table, but there was pendant light above the table and Raph reached up to pull the attached chain. Nothing happened and he tried again, wondering if the bulb had burned out.

           Something hit his arm and when he looked at it, Raph saw black flakes, just like the ones that had come off the electrical cord in Leo’s room. The cord that had been touched by freezing cold.

           When Raph exhaled, he saw his own breath. At the same time, he felt a presence behind him.

           Spinning swiftly, Raph yanked the flashlight from his belt. Before he could turn it on, a shadow lunged at him, knocking the flashlight from Raph’s hand.

           Raph stepped back and collided with the work table. The faceless form in front of him was solid black; though it was a shadow, Raph could not see through it.

           In the next second, the shadow man was clutching Raph’s throat in a tight grip. Raph punched at it, but his fists went right through the specter.

           The cold from its hand felt like it was burning Raph’s skin. He struggled in its hold, trying to break free, digging his heels into the floor for added leverage.

           Two red eyes bore into Raph’s as the shadow man began to lift the large turtle by his neck as if he weighed nothing.

           Growing lightheaded, Raph wondered what would kill him first, lack of oxygen, or a crushed throat.

TBC……………..


	3. Final

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: The TMNT are not mine. No money being made.  
> Word Count: 6,840 multi-chapter 2k3  
> Summary: The new lair has the best possible security, so what could possibly get inside?  
> Rated: PG-13 Horror  
> Written for The Darkest Nights Horror Fanbook

            Raph dangled helplessly, unable to break free of the shadow man’s grip on his throat.  The tips of his toes scratched at the floor as the feeling in the lower parts of his body grew numb.

            His sai were useless against the thing.  Raph knew that much from Leo’s account of how his swords had no effect on the shadow man.  The only thing he might have used to battle the specter was the flashlight and it was lying on the floor far from his reach.

            So was the lamp that Raph had left on the stairs.

            The thought of that lamp brought with it a flicker of memory.  Dipping into his belt, Raph found the book of matches.

            With his last ounce of strength, Raph pulled a match loose and scratched it to flame, setting the entire book on fire.  Then he drove it directly into the shadow man’s center mass.

            Its response was both immediate and gratifying.  The specter released Raph and swiftly slid away from him, vanishing into the nearest wall.

            Falling to his knees, Raph clutched his neck and gasped, coughing as the air hit his raw throat.  In front of him, the matchbook fire dwindled and then burned itself out.

            Raph lunged for the flashlight and turned it on.  Lying on his side, Raph shone the light all around him, trying to guard against a repeat attack.

            Recalling that Don sat all alone, his back to the lair, brought Raph to his feet.  He staggered a few steps before the lightheaded feeling left him.  Once his balance returned, Raph quickly located the camp light and grabbed it before heading directly back to the stairs and retrieving the other two light sources.

            He made one stop on his way back to Donatello and that was to get some more matches from the kitchen junk drawer.

            Raph’s demeanor upon his return to Don wasn’t nearly as calm as it had been when he’d left.  His hands were shaking slightly as he set down his payload and lit the kerosene lamp, needing two attempts to get it going.

            “What’s wrong?” Don asked, turning in his chair to stare at his brother.  “Raph, your neck!  What happened?”

            “I’ll tell ya’ what happened.  That shadow man of Leo’s happened.  I was in the service bay going for the camp light when that fucker came at me.  It grabbed me by my damn throat and lifted me off the ground like I was a feather,” Raph said, just remembering to keep his voice down.

            Don reached out and gently touched Raph’s neck.  Even though his fingers only lightly grazed the area, Raph still winced.

            “Can you swallow?  Are you having any trouble breathing?” Don asked.

            “Yes and no.  I’m okay Donny,” Raph said.

            His brother’s warm, brown eyes were like a salve, taking away a good portion of the residual sting.  Raph realized that was the case most of the time when he was injured.  Just having Donny care for him went a long ways towards the healing process.

            “You’ve got an ugly bruise and possibly a touch of frostnip,” Don said.  “Are you cold?”

            “Not at all,” Raph said.  “Not the way Leo was after that thing jumped on him.  Why do ya’ think that is?”

            “I’m developing a theory about the shadow man from what I’ve read and our own encounters,” Don answered.  “Right now though, let’s go down to the kitchen so I can put some warm water on that bruise.  I’d rather avoid the bathroom for the time being.”

            Raph glanced across the lair to where their brothers lay sleeping.  “Should we leave them alone?”

            Don stood up.  “The lights and the televisions are on.  We won’t be gone but a few minutes.”

            “Okay,” Raph said reluctantly.  “Ya’ gotta tell me about this theory of yours though.”

            “Deal,” Don said, happy that Raph wasn’t arguing over receiving medical treatment.

            For what seemed an immeasurable amount of time Leo watched shadow people walk across the opening to Master Splinter’s room.  It was like being at a slow motion parade.  As each figure lifted a leg it elongated before it came down, so that it only took each shadow two steps to cross the intervening space.

            Finally Leo’s eyes began to burn from holding them open for so long and he closed them.  When he opened them again the shadow parade was gone.

            Though this shadow sighting hadn’t been cause for alarm, the knowledge that the shadow man was still in the lair was concerning.

            It made Leo remember that he and Mikey had left his room without their gear.

            Leo might have been able to ignore the desire to retrieve their things, but he suddenly had an overwhelming need to get up.  He was starting to feel much too warm and very constricted by the blankets piled atop him.

            Very slowly and with infinite care, Leo shifted his legs off of Mikey’s lap.  He had to turn one leg to dislodge Mikey’s arm, but though his brother snorted, he did not wake up.

            Rising from the couch, Leo tiptoed across the living area and was surprised to see that Don and Raph weren’t in front of the computers.  Stopping next to them, he tilted his head and picked up the faint drone of his brothers’ voices coming from the kitchen.

            Satisfied that everything was all right for the moment, Leo moved on towards his bedroom.  He mentally ticked off how long it would take him to get to the bed, grab his and Mikey’s things, and then get back to the couch.  Minutes.  Nothing untoward could happen in such a short period of time.

            The kitchen was probably the best lit area in the lair and Don made certain that every light was on, even the ones in the hood vent over the stove.  Grabbing a clean hand towel off a shelf, he ran it under warm water and then gingerly pressed it against the bruise on Raph’s throat.

            When he saw Raph scowl, Don asked, “Sting?”

            “A little.  Why don’t ya’ tell me about this theory of yours and take my mind off my neck,” Raph said.

            “There are a number of explanations for shadow people,” Don said.  “Some believe they are figments of the imagination; our minds playing tricks on us.  That they are leftover perceptions from dreams that stay with us as we start to wake from a deep sleep.”

            “Ain’t no dream gave me this,” Raph said gruffly, pointing at his throat.

            “Clearly that theory does not fit our situation,” Don said.  “Others believe that they’re ghosts.  That wouldn’t explain our experiences either, since a ghost would have manifested itself long before this.  From what I know of ghost lore, they aren’t usually physical.”

            Raph snorted.  “This wasn’t a ghost.”

            Don nodded.  “I concur.  Next we have the beliefs that shadow people are demons, or astral bodies, or even time travelers.  We’ve had confrontations with demons and time-travelers and I feel comfortable saying we could identify either of those if we ran across them again.  Astral bodies are people having out-of-body experiences.  They don’t have enough form to actually attack anyone.”

            “Okay, now I’ve got the lowdown on what this isn’t,” Raph said.  “So tell me what ya’ think it is.”

            Removing the towel from Raph’s neck, Don leaned in close to examine the bruise.  It was definitely hand shaped and the application of heat had caused the skin to redden, verifying Don’s thought that the specter had given his brother frostnip.

            Raph sat very still as Don studied his neck.  Having Don so close to him was causing butterflies to dance in his stomach, a feeling that was far from unpleasant.  For a moment Raph forgot about the shadow people and his own injury and simply relished the way it felt to be near Don.

            Straightening up but remaining close to his brother, Don said, “Since I’ve also discarded the notion that the shadow man is an alien, I’ve concluded that he . . . .”

            He was interrupted by a shout from somewhere above them.

            When Leo reached his bedroom he saw that someone had turned out the lights.  Since they had agreed to leave every light on, he figured it must have been an unconscious act by one of his brothers.  Sure enough, the switch was in the off position.

            Flipping it on, Leo entered his room.  His gear was piled neatly next to the bed and he gathered it quickly.  Mikey’s things were strewn around the floor near the end of the bed and on the side of the bed his brother had occupied.  With a snort of amusement, Leo started towards Mikey’s nunchucks, which were the closest to him.

            The lights went out.

            Spinning around, Leo looked back towards the doorway.  No one was there and light still shone into his room from the wall sconce mounted above the stairs.  Walking back over to the switch, Leo saw that the toggle was once more pushed down.

            Frowning, Leo lifted the toggle and light filled the room.  Before stepping away from it again, he jiggled the toggle to make certain it wasn’t loose.  After ascertaining that it was securely in the on position, Leo moved back over to the end of his bed.

            He was bending down to grab Mikey’s nunchucks when the lights went out again.

            When his skin started to prickle, Leo knew he was no longer alone.  As he straightened up and turned, Leo saw a figure detach itself from the deep shadows in the corner nearest his door.

            The shadow man and Leo stared at one another.  Red orbs shown in what Leo assumed was its face, its gaze unwavering.  Leo knew he wouldn’t make it to the doorway; the shadow man had effectively blocked him off.

            There was one source of light in the room that Leo could use to make his escape but he had to get to it.  His shell cell sat on the nightstand and he was sure its flashlight feature was bright enough to drive the specter away.

            Very slowly Leo lowered his weapons to the floor and then began to wrap his pads around his hands and fingers.  He knew he was going to come into contact with the entity.  The padding might not protect his skin for long and Leo understood he’d have to move quickly.

            Leo was tying off the padding when the shadow man suddenly lifted its arms, the palms of its hands turned upwards.  It said nothing, but Leo could hear the faint whispering that seemed to accompany the shadow people.

            The shadow man’s arms stretched outwards toward Leo, looking very much as though it was beckoning to him.  At the same time, the whispering turned to a buzzing sound inside Leo’s head.

            Blinking his eyes rapidly, Leo shook his head, trying to dislodge the noise.  It was clouding his thoughts and making the room begin to fade out around him. When Leo tried to slide his foot to the side so that he could go towards his nightstand, he instead took a step forward.

            As though he was being pulled, Leo began to take another step.  His foot lifted but then with every ounce of willpower he could muster, Leo curled his toes and brought his foot back down, hard.

            The pain lanced through his system, momentarily blocking the buzzing sound.  The shadow man seemed to sense he’d lost control over Leo, because he started to glide towards the turtle.

            Leo leaped onto the bed, landing hard, and then scrabbled across the mattress as he reached for the shell cell.  Something cold brushed the backs of his thighs and Leo rolled aside, trying to stay out of the shadow man’s grip.

            “Hey!”

            Mikey’s shout was followed by the hissing of an extremely angry cat.  Klunk was in Mikey’s arms, his ears laid back and his teeth showing.

            Leo turned his head to look at his brother just as Mikey tossed Klunk directly at the shadow man.  Its reaction to the snarling, scratching cat was instantaneous; the specter flew backwards, ricocheting off the walls and ceiling before vanishing completely.

            Leo sat up as Mikey came towards him.  “Mikey, how . . . ?”

            “Klunk,” Mikey said.  “He was under Donny’s workstation growling and hissing so loudly he woke me up.  When he saw me he ran to the top of the stairs and that’s how I knew you’d gone to your room.”

            “The shadow man was afraid of him,” Leo said slowly.

            “What’s going on?  Who yelled?” Raph demanded as he ran into the room.

            “Why are you two in here?” Don asked, turning the lights on.

            “I came in here to get our gear,” Leo said.

            “In the dark?  You should have known better!” Don exclaimed.

            “I had the overhead lights on, but that thing kept turning them off,” Leo said.

            “That shadow man is bad news, Leo.  Ya’ shouldn’t be taking chances,” Raph scolded.

            The raspy quality of his voice drew Leo’s attention.  Rising from the bed, he bypassed Mikey and approached Raph, his eyes glued to the fresh bruises on his brother’s throat.

            “What happened to your neck?” Leo asked.

            “I was in the service bay grabbing extra lights when the shadow man jumped me,” Raph said gruffly.  Holding up the kerosene lamp, he added, “FYI, it don’t like fire.”

            “It’s afraid of cats too,” Mikey said.  “Klunk went all jungle cat when he saw the thing.  I threw Klunk at the shadow man to chase him off Leo.”

            “It blocked the door so I couldn’t get out,” Leo explained.  “I was trying to get to my shell cell so I’d have a light source.”

            “We don’t separate like that anymore,” Don said firmly.  “No one goes anywhere alone.”

            “Yeah Leo, don’t do that to me again,” Mikey said, touching his brother’s arm.  “Dude, you’re freezing!”

            “I don’t feel cold,” Leo said.  “In fact, part of the reason I got up was because I was feeling too warm.”

            “That fits in with my theory,” Don said.

            “How about ya’ tell it to us while we’re all sitting in front of the nice, bright televisions in the outer room?  I don’t much like being crammed into this small space with that thing on the loose,” Raph said.

            Mikey gathered up the gear that had been strewn around the room and the brothers filed out, making certain to keep Leo between them.  Once they were back in the living area, Leo sat down and took the makeshift wrap off his hands, putting the pads back on properly and donning his mask, belt, and swords.

            While he was doing that, Mikey got dressed too and then draped a blanket across Leo’s shoulders.  Raph set the kerosene lamp on the ground in front of the couch and then he and Don grabbed the rest of their emergency lighting from Don’s work area.

            Don eyed Leo critically and said, “Mikey, tuck a blanket around his legs.  It’s imperative we warm Leo back to his normal temperature.”

            “Enough with the cryptic stuff, Donny.  I’m going crazy,” Raph said.  “Spill.”

            “What I started to tell you earlier is that I believe that the shadow man is an interdimensional being,” Don said.  “I’m convinced he inhabits a dimension parallel to ours and has found a way to partially enter our dimension.”

            “Why?” Mikey asked.  “What’s it want over here and why does it keep coming after Leo?”

            “It’s impossible to be certain since we can’t talk to it,” Don said and then gave Leo an odd look.  “Unless it’s communicated with you?”

            Leo appeared deep in thought.  “In a way it has,” he finally said.  “It doesn’t seem to be able to speak, but when it’s close to me, I can hear . . . whispering.  The sound never becomes clear enough to make out words.  This last encounter the whispering turned into a buzzing inside my head that was allowing the being to control me.”

            “It wants you,” Don said.  “For what reason, I don’t know.  Maybe it wants to take you back to its dimension, maybe it wants to inhabit your body.  I’m fairly certain it’s chosen you for a couple of reasons.”

            “I’ll bet one is what I told ya’ before about Leo loving the dark,” Raph said.

            Don nodded.  “Being one with the shadows isn’t just a skill necessary to becoming a ninja; true experts in the Way of Invisibility _are_ the shadows.  Even Master Splinter would acknowledge that Leo has a natural affinity for the darkness.”

            “I understand the shadows,” Leo murmured.

            “And then there’s your own natural body temperature Leo,” Don said.  “You run cooler than the rest of us.  From your encounters and the one Raph had with the shadow being, it is clear that it’s used to the cold.  It doesn’t like heat or light.”

            “Or cats,” Mikey said as a reminder.

            “In order for you to be assimilated, you have to become even colder than normal,” Don said.  “Hence the adjustments that have been occurring to your core temperature.”

            Mikey plopped down on the couch and slipped his arm around Leo’s shoulders, leaning close to him.  “I’ll warm him up.  That thing isn’t turning Leo into its own personal popsicle while I’m around.”

            Leo was surprised by how vehement Mikey sounded when he said that; gone was the teasing tone he normally used when trying to lighten the mood.  It was then that Leo realized he’d been in something of a stupor since the last attack.  Mikey’s serious manner and his close proximity were clearing Leo’s head.

            “It was reaching out to me, beckoning me,” Leo told them.  “Part of me wanted to go with it into the shadows.  It seemed as though it needed me.”

            “We need you more,” Mikey said, squeezing Leo’s shoulders.  Looking up at Don, he asked, “How do we get rid of that thing?  Do we need to light up the whole lair and take away every single shadow?”

            “He isn’t the only shadow person I’ve seen,” Leo said.  “When I first woke, I saw a number of shadow people marching across the entryway to Master Splinter’s room.  I thought I was feverish because they seemed to be moving in slow motion.  None of them turned in my direction or even seemed as aware of their surroundings as the shadow man is.”

            Don snapped his fingers.  “I’ll bet you’re meant to join them.  The shadow man wanted you to see into his dimension.  You didn’t go to your room because you wanted your gear, you went there because he planted that message in your head.”

            “So what’s the deal?  Is Leo supposed to be turned into slave labor or something?” Raph asked.

            “If that’s the case, then there has to be a portal to take him through,” Don said.  “That has to be how the shadow man got here.”

            “So if we find this portal and shut it down, Mr. Shades gets locked out of here, right?” Raph asked.

            “Since we’re making this up as we go, that sounds as good a theory as any other,” Don said.

            “Why’d it attack you, Raph?” Mikey asked.  “I mean, it keeps running from me and clearly wants to take Leo.  Why did it try to kill you?”

            “Hell if I know,” Raph said.

            Don turned to Raph and touched his shoulder.  “I think it wanted you out of the way.  It knew what you were doing, knew that you were collecting light and heat sources to keep it away from Leo.”

            Klunk sauntered into the room and curled up on the rug in front of the couch.  Rather than dozing as he normally would when the brothers were gathered around, the cat remained watchful, his ears swiveling as though scanning for some sound.

            “Where do we look for this portal and how do we know when we’ve found it?” Raph asked.

            “It’s been in Leo’s room the most, maybe we search there first,” Mikey suggested.

            “We looked all over his room already,” Raph said.

            “Actually, we only checked that one corner,” Don said.  “If there’s a portal, it should manifest itself as a rift in the dimensional fabric that separates our universes, a kind of overlap.  We should try to find a space that is no longer solid, though it may appear that way.”

            “Like if we touch it, our hand goes through?” Mikey asked.  “If the shadow man’s world is cold, that might not be a great idea.”

            “We’ll use our weapons,” Don said.  “Tap the walls, the floors, the ceilings.  Mikey, you and Leo check the area where he saw that shadow parade.  Take the kerosene lamp and a flashlight.”

            “Me and Don will take the camp light and another flashlight and search Leo’s room,” Raph said, handing a book of matches to Mikey.

“Everyone stays with their partner; no going into separate rooms and no leaving your light source behind,” Leo said.

            “What do we do when we find the portal?” Mikey asked.  “Anybody know how to shut it?”

            The brothers looked around at each other and it was obvious none of them had an answer to that question.  Finally Don said, “I guess we’ll have to figure that out once we find it.”

            “Then let’s go,” Raph said.  “I’m tired of talking.  I wanna find that thing and kick its ass.”

            As soon as they separated, Mikey pushed the kerosene lamp into Leo’s hands.  “Don’t put this down for anything,” he said.  “Old red eyes doesn’t like heat or light and this has both.”

            “Yes boss,” Leo said with a grin.

            Mikey returned the smile.  “I could get used to this.”

            Leo pointed out where the shadow people had crossed during their ‘parade’.  Using their weapons they tapped all of the solid surfaces but found nothing.

            “We should check all along the staircase and on into Master Splinter’s room,” Leo said.  “It’s possible that Father’s presence has kept the shadow man at bay but with him gone, it was able to manipulate the portal.”

            “That’s a good idea,” Mikey said, shining his flashlight upwards.  “How big do you think this portal is?  It’s gonna take time to check every surface.”

            “I think we can just check for cold spots,” Leo said thoughtfully.  “The places where the shadow man has passed through have always left behind residual cold.  I would think that a portal between dimensions would be cold all the time.”

            That same idea had crossed Donatello’s mind as well.  He shared that with Raph as the pair made a thorough search of Leo’s room, even covering the areas that had previously been checked.

            “I’m glad to hear that, Donny.  I was just trying to figure out how we were gonna search the ceiling in the service bay.  Even your bō staff ain’t got that long a reach,” Raph said.

            Don sighed.  “Well this room is a bust.  He may be coming after Leo in here, but this is not where the portal is located.”

            “Service bay next then,” Raph said.  “We should probably let our bros know where we’re headed.”

            The light fixtures on either side of Splinter’s shoji were lit as Leo and Mikey approached.  Sliding the paper covered lattice doors aside, the duo entered their father’s domain.

            Master Splinter only used electric lighting at the entryway to his room.  He preferred candlelight and when Leo had checked his room the previous day, all of the large candles were lit.

            The room was now in total darkness.

            Mikey chuckled nervously.  “Guess our uninvited guest blew out the candles.  You might have been right about him coming in through here now that Sensei’s absent.”

            Leo’s shell cell rang and he quickly answered it.  Mikey pressed in close so that he could hear what Don was saying about cold spots and that he and Raph were going to the service bay.  After acknowledging both pieces of information and telling Don where he and Mikey were, Leo hung up.

            “You’ve got a book of matches, right?” Leo asked, looking at Mikey.  “Let’s light the candles.  We’ll find out soon enough if our visitor is in here.”

            “Don’t wanna waste the matches,” Mikey said, shining his flashlight around Splinter’s room.

           Finding a stack of newspapers, Mikey rolled a few pages into a tight bundle and set it on fire. Moving quickly around the room, he lit the largest candles, and soon had the room bright again.

           While Mikey did that, Leo walked slowly around the room, starting at one staircase and moving along the walls. Mikey jogged over to the bottom of the other staircase and moved along the walls towards his brother.

           When they met at a center point in the back of the room, they both noticed that Klunk had followed them and was sitting on the rug next to Splinter’s shrine to Master Yoshi.

           “How close to the cold spot do you think we need to be to feel it?” Mikey asked, eyeing the room, which was very large.

           “Let’s crisscross the room,” Leo said. “The shadow man feels like he’s near freezing temperatures, so I’d imagine the cold spot would feel like when you walk past an open freezer door on a hot day.”

           Walking towards the center of the room together, the brothers had just chosen which directions they would go when they heard Klunk growl. Glancing towards the cat, they saw that his fur stood on end and he was on his feet, hissing at something above them.

           Looking up, the pair saw the shadow man crawling across the ceiling. As soon as they spotted him, his form spread into thin tendrils that flashed downwards.

           All of the candles went out at once, plunging the room in a darkness that was only broken by the light fixtures outside Splinter’s door, the kerosene lamp and Mikey’s flashlight.

           Raph and Don stood side by side at the top of the stairs that led to the service bay. Though they said nothing, they each knew what the other was thinking; the area to be searched was vast and included a cluttered storage room and the maze that constituted Don’s work space.

           The overhead lights were still on, giving the turtle brothers a small degree of comfort.

           “How should we do this?” Don asked.

           Raph liked how Don always shared the decision making with him when they were paired up. It made him feel as though his opinion mattered and that he was an equal, despite Donatello’s extremely high IQ.

           “I say start where I fought with the thing,” Raph said. “We can cover that area pretty quickly and then check the storage room together.  Neither of those spots have much light.”

           “Stay close to me,” Don said and then added quickly, “I mean, we shouldn’t be too far from each other so the shadow man won’t have an easy target.”

           Despite the low light, Raph could see that Don was blushing. Maybe it wasn’t too farfetched to hope that Don shared certain feelings with him.

           With both of them searching, it didn’t take long to cover the work space. Don used his bō staff to tip the pendant light to one side, verifying for himself that the electrical cord was frayed.

           Together they walked back to the center of the service bay and stood next to the moving van.

           “The storage room is going to be fun to search, especially if the light in there has been ruined too,” Don said. “Was my work space the only area you saw anything odd?”

           “Yeah,” Raph said with a nod. Then he frowned.  “No wait, on my way over there I thought I saw something reflected in one of the van’s side mirrors.  Shook it off as my imagination.”

           “We should search the van,” Don said. “Maybe we brought that thing back with us.”

           “Too damn many possibilities,” Raph griped. “There has to be a way to narrow . . . .”

           In that moment, every light in the lair went out.

           “Donny . . . .” Raph began.

           “It’s got to be the main breaker,” Don said. “Could the shadow man be smart enough to cut the power?”

           “I’d say yeah,” Raph said. “Come on, we need to fix this before that thing jumps Leo again.”

           “Wait, I need electrical wire and some tools,” Don told him.

           Raph grabbed Don’s belt as he started to dart off. “Together, remember Don?  I’ll stand watch while ya’ get those supplies.”

           “Call Leo too,” Don said. “He and Mikey need to know what’s happening.”

           The ringing of Leo’s shell cell practically coincided with the lights at the top of Splinter’s staircase going out.

           “Gonna answer that?” Mikey asked from behind him.

           “Put your shell against mine first,” Leo said. “We need to get out of this room.”

           As soon as he felt Mikey’s carapace touch his, Leo answered the cell phone. “Are the lights out everywhere?” he asked.

            _“Yeah. Don and me are headed over to check the breaker box,”_ Raph said. _“Ya’ still in Master Splinter’s room?”_

           “Mikey, Klunk, the shadow man, and I,” Leo said. “One big party.”

            _“Get out of there Leo,”_ Raph said, sounding alarmed.

           “Working on it,” Leo replied. “I don’t suppose you found the portal?”

            _“No and I’m guessing you didn’t either,”_ Raph said. _“That fucker’s getting in here from someplace.”_

           “Just get the lights on and find a way to keep them on,” Leo said. “One thing at a time.”

           He heard Don’s voice in the background and a second later Raph said, _“Donny says get to the kitchen. It’s got the best lighting and most of the wiring is shielded.  He says start a fire in the sink and on the stovetop in some of the heavy pots.”_

           “Heading there now,” Leo said as he disconnected the call. “I hope,” he added.

           “I heard what Raph said,” Mikey said. “I really like the part where we get out of here.”

           “Keep the flashlight close to your body so he can’t knock it out of your hand,” Leo said. “We move together towards the stairs to the right of the shrine.”

           When they started to move Klunk joined Mikey, staying close to his legs. They’d managed to make it about four feet before Leo felt the cold.

           “Leo, it’s getting chilly,” Mikey said.

           Klunk hissed and Mikey swung his light around, catching a glimpse of the shadow man. As soon as the flashlight hit him, he flew away from it.

           “Keep going,” Leo said, turning up the wick to brighten the lamp.

           “I think this is the first time I’ve ever known you to want to be inside the light,” Mikey joked.

           “I like being near your light Mikey,” Leo said. He suddenly felt that if something was going to happen to him, he needed for Mikey to know how he felt.

           They took a few more steps before Mikey responded. “I like being with you too, Leo.  Like, more than anyone.  I hope we’re talking about the same thing.”

           “We are,” Leo said, his heart soaring. Knowing that Mikey cared made nothing seem impossible.  “When we get out of this, I’m going to show you how I feel.”

           “Hold onto that positive attitude, bro. We’re near the stairs,” Mikey said.

           Again Klunk hissed and then shrieked loudly. A cold blast hit Mikey’s shoulder and he was forcefully shoved away from Leo.

           Raphael held the flashlight as he stood guard over his brother. The camp light sat atop the breaker box, casting the illumination Don needed in order to see what he was doing and to keep the shadow man away from their primary electrical source.

           “What’s the damage?” Raph asked.

           “He got the branch circuit cables where they come into the box,” Don said. “Not the worst case scenario, but not great either.  I can splice into them to get the lights back on and come back later to do a more lasting repair.”

           “How long?” Raph asked. “That creep’s stalking Leo.”

           “Thirty minutes at least,” Don said. “As long as I don’t have to keep looking behind me.”

           “I’ve gotcha covered, Donny. Ya’ gotta know by now that I always will,” Raph told him.

           “I do,” Don said as he snipped some wires. “I much prefer being partnered up with you.”

           Raph cleared his throat. “Would ya’ maybe . . . like to make that a permanent thing?”

           Don glanced at him and then went back to work. “It figures you’d ask that when we’re in the middle of an emergency.  To save you the embarrassment of asking again later, the answer is yes.”

           “I ain’t embarrassed,” Raph said gruffly and then hid a grin when Don snorted his amusement.

           “Don’t forget that I saw your face when you asked that question,” Don said. “Who knows you better than me?”

           “Nobody,” Raph said, the grin becoming affectionate. “Next time I’ll practice my poker face in front of a . . . .”

           Halting mid-sentence, Raph’s eyes widened. The abrupt stop made Don frown and look at his brother again.

           “What’s wrong?” Don asked.

           “We’re both idiots!” Raph exclaimed. “I know where the portal is!”

           The bruise that the shadow man had left on Raph’s neck was a good indication of just how strong it was, something that Mikey was finding out for himself. Not only was its touch cold, but the shove he gave Mikey knocked the turtle to the ground and sent him sliding across Master Splinter’s room.

           “Mikey!” Leo yelled, turning to locate his brother.

           Dazed, Mikey watched the lamp veer away from the shadow man, allowing it to close in on Leo.

           Feeling the cold coming up behind him, Leo tried to turn back, but a buzzing sound filled his head. Though he attempted to shut it out, the noise bore into his consciousness and Leo felt himself losing control of his own will.

           Very slowly he began to heed the mental instructions to place the lamp on the floor.

           “No!” Mikey shouted, scrambling to his feet and diving for his brother.

           Grabbing Leo’s arm, Mikey forced it back up again and then spun both his brother and the lamp around. The lamp swung upwards, the heat driving the entity backwards.

           “He’s a turtle!” Mikey roared at the shadow man. “He’s not human, he can’t survive the cold!”

           Wrapping an arm around Leo, Mikey concentrated as hard as he could, calling on Master Splinter’s training. After a second he felt the cold air that had engulfed them dissipate as it was replaced by an overwhelming warmth.

           As heat suffused Leo’s body, the buzzing left his head. He watched in amazement as an orange glow engulfed Mikey, spreading outwards and pushing away the darkness.

           “How . . . ?” Leo asked.

           “Move with me,” Mikey instructed, holding onto to the protective feeling that allowed him to manifest the warming glow.

           Leo clung to the kerosene lamp as Mikey virtually dragged him up the stairs. In the back of Leo’s head he could still feel the shadow man trying to worm its way past Mikey’s defenses.

           If Mikey could just hang on to the power he was exuding until they made it to the kitchen, they might have a fighting chance.

           Raph was practically vibrating with excitement as he made his announcement.

           “We missed something? What did we miss?” Don asked.

           “Mirrors,” Raph said. “It all has to do with mirrors.  Or one mirror in particular.”

           Don’s mouth dropped open.  “That ugly thing we brought back from the junkyard!”

           “That’s where it started,” Raph said.

           “You saw it in the van’s mirror,” Don said. “That’s one of the ways it’s moving so quickly around the lair.  Any polished reflective surface acts as another gateway.”

           “But the main one, the one that has to be open, is in that fucking bathroom mirror,” Raph said. “I’ll gladly risk seven years of bad luck by breaking that thing.”

           “This time I’ll watch _your_ back,” Don said, grabbing the camp light.  “Destroying that mirror will take less time than repairing the electricity.”

           Mikey’s glow lasted all of the way out of Splinter’s room and down the back staircase to the living area. The effort it took to maintain that level of concentration was tiring and the glow left him once he and Leo were standing in front of the television monolith.

           The multitude of blank screens were eerie looking in the darkness of the lair. Once more it was only the small circle of light given off by the lamp and Mikey’s flashlight that kept the shadows at bay.

           “Is it irony that the same dark underground home that keeps you hidden is also the place where the shadows eventually attack you?” Mikey asked.

           “I think that’s what Raph would call ‘turtle luck running true to form’,” Leo said wryly. His brow suddenly furrowed in pain.  “Mikey, it’s close.  I can hear it calling to me again.”

           “You gotta block it out Leo,” Mikey said, maintaining his grip on his brother. “We’ve just gotta make it to the kitchen and we can hold the thing off until Don gets the lights on.”

           They managed a couple of steps before movement caught the corner of Leo’s eye. His gasp drew Mikey’s attention and the younger turtle turned to see what his brother was looking at.

           The shadow man was rushing towards them from inside the darkened television screens.

           “I don’t think we’re going to make it,” Leo said.

           “Go, go, go!” Mikey shouted, forcibly pulling Leo as the spellbound turtle hesitated.

           Racing away from the televisions, the brothers drew alongside Donatello’s workstation. The computer monitors reflected an image of the entity keeping pace with them.

            As they neared the top of the stairs, the shadow man flew out of a monitor.  It rapidly overtook the pair, reaching out to grasp the edges of Leo’s carapace and yanking him to a stop.

            “Leave him alone!” Mikey cried out as he engaged in a deadly tug of war with the specter.

            “Hey shadow asshole!” Raph yelled, racing out of the bathroom with the mirror held high.  “Get lost!”

            Reaching the railing, Raph threw the mirror to the concrete below.  The glass shattered into tiny fragments upon impact, the wooden frame breaking apart.

            When it hit, the shadow man released Leo and swarmed over the railing, engulfing the broken mirror in inky blackness.

            “Is it gone?” Don asked, running up alongside Raph.

            “Has to be, I smashed the mirror,” Raph said, his expression smug.  Then his grin faded.

            The mirror began to repair itself, the frame snapping back into place and the glass fragments pulling together like a reflective jigsaw puzzle.

            “Mikey, take Leo and get out of the lair!” Don called, watching the portal grow solid once more.

            “Leo.  Leo!” Mikey exclaimed, shaking his brother.  Leo appeared to be in shock, his eyes glazed over as he stared at the mirror lying one level below them.

            There was no way that Mikey could carry Leo and escape the lair quickly enough to evade the shadow man.  Desperate, Mikey looked around, searching for a way to save his brother.

            Then his gaze landed on the kerosene lamp hanging loosely from Leo’s fingers.  Yanking the lamp from Leo’s grip, Mikey threw it at the mirror.

            The lamp exploded on impact.  Fire engulfed the mirror, fueled by the gold glaze on the wooden frame.  As flames licked at the wood, it blackened and then burned.

            A bright red blaze flared in the center of the mirror and the glass began to pop and squeal as it melted.  From the center of the mirror, the shadow man suddenly surged upwards and then was sucked back inside the portal as the fire closed it completely.

            Leo slumped forward and Mikey caught him, holding on as his brother slowly regained his senses.  Raph and Don came up to join them as Mikey led Leo over to the couch.

            “I never did like that ugly ass mirror,” Raph said, breaking the silence.

            “Are you okay, Leo?” Don asked.

            “I am now,” Leo said.  “Thanks to you guys.”

            He was looking at Mikey as he said it and Raph noticed that they were holding hands.

            Nudging Don to make sure he’d seen it too, Raph said, “Me and Donny are gonna collect whatever’s left of that mirror and get rid of it.  I think separating it into two boxes and burying them in different cemeteries should keep that thing from ever putting its portal back together.”

            “We’ll be back before sunup,” Don said.  “Mikey, do you think you can talk Leo into getting some sleep?”

            Mikey smiled at Leo, bathing his older brother in his warmth once more.  “We’ll just share the bed again, won’t we?” he asked.

            “Whatever you say Mikey,” Leo replied, returning the smile.  It was nice to know that he’d never be cold again.

 

End


End file.
